MUS 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Barney Josephson, Woody Guthrie, Original Intent
Document Summary
Original intent was to make it participatory. Uniting people in song creates a powerful force for change. Basic characteristics: singable, memorable, attractive , easy to learn. Broadsides: lyrics printed on sheets with instructions, to the tune of . Songs were a way to promote solidarity amongst workers attempting to improve conditions and wages. Woody guthrie (1912-1967): this land is your land , in response to america the beautiful. Marks the beginning of music"s mainstream role in the civil rights movement. Subject matter: terror lynchings: 3,959 victims in 12 southern states between 1870 and 1950, peak in 1940 (equal justice initiative, racial terror designed to subjugate black people through fear. (bryan. Stevenson: 1940: jesse thornton (alabama) lynched for not saying mister as he talked to a white police officer. Meaning of song: describes the horror and tragedy of lynching, makes the audience witness the inhumanity of racism, communicates pain & tragedy, promotes empathy.
